Mackie 1642-VLZ Pro Owner's Manual Glossary - Page 2

Glossary This Glossary contains brief definitions of many of the audio and electronic terms and acronyms used in discussions of sound mixing and recording. Many of the terms have other meanings or nuances or very rigorous technical definitions, which we have sidestepped here because we figure you already have a lot on your mind. If you'd like to get more information, there are plenty of useful textbooks out there. We recommend the following titles: The Audio Dictionary by Glenn White, Tech Terms by Peterson & Oppenheimer, Handbook for Sound Engineers by Glen Ballou, Mackie Mixer Book by Rudy Trubitt, Pro Audio Reference by Dennis Bohn, and Sound Reinforcement Handbook by Gary Davis. aliasing This is a type of distortion caused during the analog-to-digital conversion process. If the frequency of the analog signal exceeds one-half the sampling rate, spurious signals and harmonics not present on the original signal may be created (see Nyquist Theorem). Careful design and filtering before the sampling stage can reduce this aliasing to a minimum. assign In sound mixers, assign means to switch or route a signal to a particular signal path or combination of signal paths. attenuate To reduce or make quieter. A aux ACRONYM An acronym for A Contrived Reduction Of Nomenclature Yielding Mnemonics adiabatic Literally, it means "not to pass through." In describing the high-density foam used inside the HR Series studio monitors, it means that internal reflections within the cabinet are absorbed by the foam. In physical terms, it means the mechanical energy of the sound wave is converted into heat energy. Short for Auxiliary. auxiliary In sound mixers, supplemental equipment or features that provide additional capabilities to the basic system. Examples of auxiliary equipment include: serial processors (equalizers, compressors, limiters, gates) and parallel processors (reverberation and delay). aux send A mixer bus output designed to send a signal to an auxiliary processor or monitor system. A/D converter (ADC) Analog-to-digital converter, a device that transforms incoming analog signals into digital form. AFL An acronym for After Fade Listen, which is another way of saying post-fader solo function. aux return A mixer input (sometimes a pair of inputs) with limited control capabilities, intended for bringing the output of an auxiliary processor or other line-level source into the main mix bus. Aux returns can sometimes be assigned to other buses in the mixer. 2